Death's Right Hand
by Onileo
Summary: A sudden illness is striking the newborn infants of dojutsu clans, and Sakura is tasked with finding the cause. The strange thing is, Jashin is mysteriously silent on the subject... Hidan x Sakura-Sequel to Shades of Crimson


A/N: This is the sequel to my HidaSaku story, Shades of Crimson. If you don't feel like reading it first, or have read it and want a refresher, I'll give a brief summary of the story up to this point.

Zetsu infiltrates the Nara forest and retrieves Hidan's body from the pit he was buried in before kidnapping Sakura and Ino. In exchange for releasing Ino, Sakura agrees to heal Hidan for the Akatsuki. During the final moments of his revival, Sakura's soul is sucked away to Jashin's garden where the god charges her with the task of killing Madara. When she is sent back, her and Hidan's chakra and emotions are bound together, and whenever he performs a ritual, she feels all of it. Because of their bond, Pein charges Hidan with watching her. Their relationship develops…lemon…Hidan's backstory…Sakura joins the Akatsuki on the terms that she has no missions involving Konoha.

Her first mission for them is to retrieve the eight-tails, which is a success, but while they are sealing it, she is sucked into Killer Bee's subconscious and discovers that the reason the jinchuriiki die during an extraction is because the tailed beasts cling to their hosts. Knowing Naruto is the last one to be found, she secretly develops a plan to separate his chakra from the nine-tails during the extraction in case he is captured. In a much-altered-from-canon invasion of Konoha, Pein and Konan capture Naruto, then kill Danzou for the part he played in trapping them when they were younger and killing Yahiko.

The kyuubi is successfully sealed, and Sakura manages to save Naruto, but as soon as the jutsu is over, Madara turns on the Akatsuki. In a grand, mutli-chapter battle, he releases all of the tailed beasts under his control and tries to destroy both the Akatsuki and Amegakure. Sakura and Hidan confront Madara and Sakura uses Hidan's binding technique to sacrifice herself and kill him. Nagato emerges from Amegakure, and after saving his village, uses his resurrection jutsu to bring back the ones who died (including Yahiko) and uses the last of his chakra to be reborn as Konan's child. Afterward, Konan dissolves the Akatsuki, taking up the position as head of Amegakure, and Sakura and Hidan stay to help rebuild the all but destroyed village. Zetsu is the only one who didn't participate in the battle, and disappears soon after, following a plan of his own…

…And that's the story in a nutshell, albeit a rather large one…. Now on with the sequel…

Death's Right Hand

Chapter 1

A Call for Help

Beneath a sturdy overhang in a quiet corner of Amegakure, two old men sat drinking green tea and watching the rain. They wondered quietly at the weather that was back to normal after a nine month stint of sunshine. Everyone that knew anything about it suspected that the return of the constant downpours coincided with the birth of Konan's son, Nagato, but not a breath of it escaped their lips for fear of breaking the tenuous peace that had settled over the village after the death of Uchiha Madara.

…Well, it was mostly peaceful.

Thankfully, there were few people on the sidewalk at this time of the afternoon, because moments later, a Rain shinobi came barreling down the sidewalk, hands to his mouth shouting at the bystanders who had stopped to stare at him.

"Code 713! Code 713! All civilians are encouraged to seek shelter indoors immediately!"

The ninja looked back over his shoulder at something hidden by a building, eyes widening in fear before he increased speed and darted around the block. The old men never made a move to rise or even glance at what had the ninja running scared. The older of the two merely shook his head and sighed.

"Those two just can't fight like a normal couple, can they?"

The other grunted in agreement before lifting his cup to his lips and taking a small sip. His wrinkled dry lips curled into amusement as the pair in question came into view. Hidan was backpedaling right down the middle of the street, the rain streaming down his body to mix with the blood coating his bare torso from several large wounds. His silver hair was darkened when soaked, and lay plastered against his head. His hands were up in a placating gesture, but the expression on his face was unrepentant. Just out of arm's reach in front of him was Sakura, stalking after him, green eyes blazing, her hair similarly glued to her head. Her fists were clamped to her bloody sides, and with each measured step, the aura of her unbridled chakra grew darker and larger.

Hidan started to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Sakura slammed her fist into the ground, sending chunks of asphalt spraying everywhere. "Shut the hell up!" she yelled at him. "Every time you open your mouth, something bad happens!"

Finally noticing the onlookers, and the fact that his masculinity was in trouble, Hidan stopped. This turned out to be a mistake as well, because seconds later he lay sprawled in the street on his back, right cheek red and burning from the rapid swelling. He lay there for several dazed moments as Sakura loomed over him, her lips set in a hard line as she glared down at him. It was then that he noticed how wet her eyes were, bright and shining as she held back her tears. Then in a blur of pink and spraying droplets she turned and stomped off.

Climbing to his feet, Hidan looked over at the only other occupants of the street, two old men drinking tea under an awning. Throwing his hands in the air, he nearly yelled at them. "Why does she have to be so much _fucking_ trouble?!"

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Sakura knew as she headed into work the next day that there would be whispering behind her back from some, and outright calculating stares from others. It always happened when a fight broke out between her and Hidan. He knew how to push her buttons until she was beyond all control… and he did it with unrelenting glee.

This time it was over Ino. She took two weeks of vacation time, and had decided to travel to Ame to see her best friend. The first couple of days had been great, but as soon as Hidan had tired of her presence, he had done everything in his power to make her leave. All of his attempts had failed until he brought up the death of her old teacher, Asuma. That had set her off in a way that Sakura had never witnessed before. She left in tears, stating that if she stayed another minute there would be an international incident and Ame would be short one shinobi.

As soon as Ino was beyond the front gates, Sakura turned from placating to pissed in a matter of seconds. Hidan had the gall to follow her as she said goodbye to her friend, but when she turned to face him, his gloating expressing fell. They traded several blows, both scoring deep wounds on the other, but he began backing up when he saw the green glow flare around her fists. And the further she had to chase him through the city, the madder she became. By the time he finally stopped running, she wanted to beat him into a puddle. But as soon as she landed a good blow her anger deflated, partly because her own face was stinging from their bond. As for the rest of it, she just couldn't stay mad at him. They had been through so much together since the day Zetsu had swept her out of her old life.

But that didn't mean he was allowed to walk all over her, or her friends.

Ignoring the staring nurse stationed at the front desk, Sakura made her way to her office. She put on her lab coat and removed her gloves to tie up her hair. She took a few minutes enjoying the sting of the hot water as she scrubbed up, then grabbed the charts she would need for today's appointments. She started flipping through them, stopping when she saw Nagato's name on the third one. A soft smile found her lips. Even though she wasn't a pediatrician, and Ame had several, Konan had insisted that no one see him but Sakura. She had delighted in caring for him. He was so healthy and strong, and his little baby smiles as he tugged on her hair were such a welcome change from her daily dose of complaints, injuries and blood.

She hurried through her first two appointments as fast as her conscience would allow, then made her way to the pediatric room she had designed and decorated herself. Furry brown and white stick-on puppies frolicked on the wall, and one whole shelf above the small exam table held an ever growing collection of stuffed animals. She even splurged on a small music player that filled the room with soft instrumentals. Professionally, it was overkill in the highest degree, but she didn't care. She was looking after the son of the head of their village, a feared former Akatsuki, and he was the reincarnation of one of the most powerful shinobi the world had ever seen. If he didn't deserve a little pampering, no one did.

Konan gave her a welcoming smile as she pulled open the door. Nagato was snuggled against her chest, nose under her shirt as he nursed contentedly. Yahiko sat next to her, one arm across the back of her chair as he lounged in a manner that she found disturbingly similar to Naruto. His hair, once the reddish orange that she had associated with Pein, had lightened to a dark blonde. He was another one of her regular patients, as Konan had wanted his adjustment monitored closely. Though Nagato's reincarnation and Yahiko's revival had been motivated by the promise they made to never leave Konan alone in the world, she had to wonder if they needed her more than she needed them.

Sakura went over her notes and chatted with Konan and Yahiko until the baby was done feeding. He seemed to notice that Sakura was in the room as soon as he pulled away, and he flailed his arms as he reached for her. She picked him up and nuzzled his neck, making him giggle softly. His soft, dark red hair ticked her cheek, and her arms reflexively tightened on his small body. She rocked him gently before setting him down on the table. There was only so much time she could spend before she had to move on to her next patient.

"So, what brings you in? His check-up last week went well."

"Yesterday, I thought I saw faint rings in his eyes. They were there, then gone an hour later. He squinted and fussed all day yesterday, so I thought I'd have you make sure everything was okay." Konan explained.

"Alright, let's have a look."

The development of the Rinnegan had been an issue of concern for Konan since the day she found out she was pregnant. Not only had the former Nagato's dojutsu awakened under very violent circumstances, it was also the most powerful of the ocular bloodline limits. She was always wary of attempted kidnappings by other villages, what would happen if Nagato threw a tantrum as a toddler and his chakra went out of control, or got into a fight at school. These were ordinary fears and occurrences that, under their extraordinary circumstances, would have potentially deadly consequences.

Giving her fellow kunoichi a reassuring glance, she pulled out her penlight. Clicking it on, she watched in satisfaction as his eyes flicked over to where she held her hand. She shone the light on the gray-blue irises. His pupils didn't dilate at all. Adjusting her position so her shadow fell over his face in case the light behind her was interfering, she tried again. He never even blinked at the difference in brightness. Squashing the frown that was threatening to find her face, she moved the light from right to left, then up and down, waiting to see if his eyes followed her hand.

He stared straight at where he expected her to be.

"What's wrong?" Konan asked, a worried note creeping into her voice.

Not willing to lie to the woman that had been one of her main sources of support, she shook her head. "I'm not sure, but he's not responding to the light. I'll do a light chakra probe, and see what happens."

She waited until Konan nodded her assent, then clicked off her light, noticing Nagato's head turn toward the sound. Smoothing down his baby fuzz, she gently pushed her chakra into his body at the temples, seeking the multitude of chakra pathways surrounding his eyes. She found them quickly, but when she tried to probe further toward the eyeball, she was stopped. Every single pathway was sealed off, the walls on either side pulled together to form a barrier. She pushed very lightly against one to test it, but it didn't budge. She pulled away and released her chakra, fearing harm to him if she tried to open them without studying the situation better.

Frowning heavily, she turned toward Nagato's mother, the words on her tongue making her heart drop.

"I don't know what happened, but all of his visual chakra paths have been sealed off. For the moment, he is blind."

The stricken look Konan gave her was as bad as she expected. Her usually reserved demeanor fell away, and she stood quickly to stand beside Sakura at the table, Yahiko on her heels.

"Is there anything you can do?"

"I will try, but I need to study a little first. Clearing them without knowing exactly what I'm doing might damage the pathways permanently. Any information you might have on the Rinnegan would be helpful, and I will need to contact Konoha and ask Tsunade if she has ever seen anything like it before." Konan gave her a doubtful look, and she quickly added, "Don't worry, I'll keep it anonymous."

Konan nodded, trying hard to hide the upset Sakura saw clearly on her face. "What should I do in the meantime?"

"Since he doesn't seem to be in pain and I didn't see any advancement of the condition, I'll let you take him home. Just stick to your normal routine and bring him back in tomorrow. I'd like to have another look at him. If anything else happens in the meantime, you know where I live."

"Okay."

Scooping Nagato up, Konan held him close as she walked out of the room with Yahiko. Sakura watched her leave, absently reaching for the stuffed Tanuki that Nagato had favored several times before. Giving it a quick hug, she left it on the table to find her nurse. She would have to clear her schedule for the next couple of days so she would have time for her research.

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It was just after dark when Sakura walked into the house she shared with Hidan, a stack of books in her arms. The lights were off, the living room illuminated by the dozen candles sitting on a low table. The flickering flames washed over the bloody form of Hidan, sitting cross-legged inside the circle of Jashin, eyes closed. Though he no longer had to make sacrifices to maintain his immortality, he hadn't abandoned his religion, and performed his other rituals with strict regularity. Having met the god in person made it hard not to believe, and Sakura often found herself joining him, exhilarated by the contact the deity provided to his favored priest.

It didn't hurt the sex, either.

But she had more on her mind tonight than fooling around. Walking as quietly as possible, she skirted around Hidan and entered the kitchen. She closed the door softly before turning the lights on and setting the stack of books on the table. Demon, disturbed from an apparently deep sleep, meowed in discontent and jumped down from his perch in the windowsill, tail nearly knocking over a potted plant before he stalked over to her. Picking up the now fully grown cat, she tucked him under one arm as she pulled open the refrigerator with one hand. His fuzzy orange ears laid back in protest of the manhandling, but all insults were immediately forgotten when his nose picked up the scent of the leftover fish she was retrieving for him. His dish became the new object of interest, and he forced his way out of her arms as soon as the treat landed in the ceramic container.

Giving him a pat on the head that was summarily ignored in favor of the food, Sakura grabbed a glass of water and headed to the table. Plopping down, she opened the first book to a detailed diagram of chakra pathways around the eyes. The text on the opposite page was a comprehensive breakdown of the picture, down to the percentage of chakra required to penetrate the shield around the eye. She absorbed as much as she could, paying attention to anything that dealt with the pathway walls while running scenarios and treatment options through her head.

An hour later the door slid open and Hidan entered. He had cleaned up the excess blood that coated his skin, and his quick healing had taken care of the gaping wounds across his chest. He moved around the kitchen in near silence, preparing a quick meal while Sakura continued to read undisturbed. Demon weaved in and out of his legs, deftly avoiding being stepped on as he begged for attention from his favorite person. At last he abandoned the attempt to get picked up in favor of jumping to Hidan's shoulder, where he balanced precariously while his purr box went wild. As soon as the food was finished, Hidan turned around only to find that Sakura was still so absorbed in her work that she failed to even detect his presence. Shooing the cat away and setting the plates on the table with a clank, he walked over to her and pulled her hair from its tie so he could get a firm grasp on the silky strands. Pulling her head up, he seized her surprise-parted lips with his own. The shock only lasted a moment before she responded, punishing him with her teeth until he released her.

He licked a bead of blood from his lips before returning the triumphant smirk she gave him. "Dinner's ready."

"I see that." she said breathlessly "What's for dessert?"

His grin turned feral as he took the bait. Sitting beside her, he shoved her books to the side and slid her a plate. "It's a surprise. Eat before you waste the fuck away with your head in a book."

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The rain had reduced to a light drizzle the next morning when Sakura stepped out her front door. Her footsteps quickened as she weaved around the light crowd that was taking advantage of the break in the weather to get some much needed shopping done. There would probably be a crowd at the hospital as well. She would have to hurry if she was going to get a message off to Konoha and still have adequate time for her patients. Despite their alliance, all messages between the hidden villages were sent in code, and that took time considering the fact that Ame used an encryption method that was completely different from Hidden Leaf's.

The inside of the aviary was dry and warm, the rustle of the birds loud in the habitual quiet. A chubby clerk greeted her with a nod, passing her a blank sheet of vellum and a guide sheet for the Ame code. Apparently he had dealt with her several times before. She jotted out a brief note to Tsunade, describing Nagato's problem in as much detail as she could fit on the tiny paper before rolling it up and sealing it with a jutsu. Handing it back to the clerk, she rose as he placed it in a tiny waterproof tube and turned to retrieve the hawk that was trained to fly to Fire country. After the bird was well on its way she paid the small fee and bid the man goodbye.

The walk to the hospital was uneventful, and she was relieved to see that the usual crush of patients hadn't arrived as she had expected. There was a weary looking couple in the waiting room, but other than that, the place was empty. Making her way to her office, she went through her routine of getting ready and was flipping through her new stack of charts when a soft knock sounded on her door.

"Come in."

A skinny boy entered, looking around briefly before his eyes landed on her, a proud grin on his face. He bowed low before offering her a scroll.

"A message arrived for you just after you left, Sakura-san. Master Gin asked me to deliver it to you personally."

Accepting the missive, Sakura paid the boy and tipped him for his trouble. His grin widened before he disappeared back out the door, his rapid footsteps disappearing down the hallway. Setting the scroll down, she released the jutsu sealing it and unrolled the paper. Her eyes scanned over the contents, noting the symbol at the top that meant the message was urgent, but not an emergency. When she saw Tsunade's signature at the bottom, she started at the top again, reading every word carefully.

_Sakura,_

_ Two of our clans' infants have a mysterious condition that cropped up yesterday, causing blindness. Since you have the most experience with ocular bloodline limits, I could use your advice concerning treatment options. If you can obtain leave from the village, please come right away._

_The Fifth Hokage,_

_Tsunade_

A chill involuntarily ran up her spine as she stared at the message. Surely there was no way what was happening in Konoha was related to Nagato. Which brought up another problem. With Ame's future hope needing medical attention himself, how could she return to Konoha? How could she not? Technically she was only on loan from Hidden Leaf, a liaison and goodwill ambassador between the two villages. Tsunade just worked things in her favor, only recalling her for the direst of emergencies. But if push came to shove, she knew her shishou would do what was best for the village. It was a good thing Konan would be here in a few hours. Maybe she could find a solution to his problem before she left.

The day passed agonizingly slow, until at last she was once again standing in a room full of frolicking puppies and stuffed animals, the soft music floating in the room doing nothing for her tension. As her chakra spread fluidly through Nagato's pathways, Sakura glanced over at Konan, who looked like she hadn't slept at all the previous night. Yahiko was absent this time, so she could speak more freely around the older woman.

"Almost there." she said in reassurance.

The blockage was still in place, the walls of the chakra paths tightly shut. Luckily, she was right about the lack of advancement. A relieved sigh escaped her. Konan looked suddenly hopeful, only to squash it as soon as Sakura shook her head. Testing the elasticity, she found that there was almost no give, so she wouldn't be able to force her way through without damaging the precious transmitters. Pulling out, she turned to the blue haired kunoichi.

"I still can't figure out what moved the passages to close. It's like something pinched them together before taking all the give out. If I try to force them back open, I'll do more harm than good."

Konan stared at the wall for a long time. "So, what should we do?" she nearly whispered.

Grateful for the easy opening, Sakura pulled the scroll from her pocket. "I think we should take him to see Tsunade. She is having a similar problem in Konoha, and though I don't see how they could even be remotely related, we might be able to find the answers together."

Konan accepted the scroll handed to her, and read over the contents before handing it back. She was thoughtful for several seconds before she stood and accepted her son from Sakura, who had been rocking the boy and cooing at him to steady her own nerves. He frowned as he was removed from his playmate, fists waving wildly.

Placating the baby with a kiss to his forehead, Konan met Sakura's eyes. "As far as anyone is concerned, we are traveling to Konoha for a political meeting with the Hokage. Yahiko will run the village in my absence, and Hidan will accompany us for added security. Be ready to leave first thing in the morning."

"Yes ma'am." Sakura answered, relieved that at least one solution was agreed upon so quickly. She could tackle both problems at once, and with the help of Tsunade, she was confident that they could reach the solution in no time. Then she might have time to patch things up with Ino while she was there.


End file.
